KUSENTEI!

© 2005-2007 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall

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1 January 1938:
Yokohama. Laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. shipyard.

13 September 1938:
Launched and numbered CH-12.

9 May 1939:
Completed and registered in the Kure Naval District.

8 December 1941: The Attack on the Philippines:
Takao, Formosa. Assigned to Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Hirose Sueto's (former CO of AOBA) 2nd Base Force of Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo's (36) (former CO of KIRISHIMA) Third Fleet. Attached to the Philippines Seizure Force in Cdr Sawamura's SubChasDiv 31 with CH-10 and CH-11.

10 December 1941:
Luzon, Philippines. Six transports, carrying 2,000 men of the Kanno Detachment of the 48th Infantry Division, land troops near Vigan, but are bombed and strafed by five Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" and escorting Seversky P-35A "Guardsman" and Curtiss P-40B "Kittyhawk" fighters of the U. S. Army's Far East Air Force. During the action, a minesweeper is sunk and two transports are so damaged they have to be beached.

7 January 1942: The Invasion of Dutch Borneo:
Rear-Admiral Hirose’s Tarakan Occupation Force departs Davao. Hirose's force include SubChasDiv 31’s CH-12, CH-10 and CH-11, patrol boats PB-36, PB-37 and PB-38, Minesweeper Division 11’s minesweepers W-13, W-14, W-15, W-16, 30th Minesweeper Division’s W-17, W-18 and other auxiliary ships.

The Tarakan invasion convoy includes Army transports TSURUGA, LIVERPOOL, HAVANA, KURETAKE, NICHIAI, HITERU, TEIRYU, HANKOW and EHIME MARUs carrying MajGen Sakaguchi Shizuo’s 56th Mixed Infantry Group and the Kure No. 2 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) and Navy transports KUNIKAWA, KANO, KAGU, KOKUYO and RAKUTO MARUs. The convoy’s escort is provided by Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Nishimura Shoji’s DesRon 4’s light cruiser NAKA with DesDiv 2’s HARUSAME, SAMIDARE, YUDACHI and MURUSAME, DesDiv 9’s ASAGUMO and MINEGUMO, NATSUGUMO and DesDiv 24’s UMIKAZE, KAWASKAZE, YAMAKAZE and SUZUKAZE. The 21st Air Flotilla’s tenders SANUKI and SANYO MARUs provide air cover .

11 January 1942:
Rear Admiral Hirose's Force invades Tarakan, Borneo.

21 January 1942: The Invasion of Balikpapan, Borneo.
Rear Admiral Hirose's Balikpapan Invasion Convoy departs Tarakan. It consists of 16 transports carrying the Sakaguchi Brigade and the Kure No. 2 SNLF escorted by DesRon 4 and Hirose’s No. 2 Base Force. Close escort is provided by SubChasDiv 31's CH-12, CH-10 and CH-11, patrol boats PB-36, PB-37 and PB-38, minesweepers W-16, W-17 and W-18. Cover is provided by light cruiser NAKA with DesDiv 2's YUDACHI, SAMIDARE, HARUSAME, DesDiv 9's ASAGUMO, MURASAME, MINEGUMO, NATSUGUMO and DesDiv 24's KAWAKAZE, YAMAKAZE and the UMIKAZE. The SANUKI and SANYO MARUs again provide air cover.

23 January 1942:
At 2045, Hirose's invasion convoy arrives and anchors off Balikpapan.

24 January 1942:
At 0035, Dutch Ltz. I (LtCdr) Carel A. J. van Well Groeneveld's (former CO of K-XIV) submarine K-XVIII, operating on the surface due to weather, fires four bow torpedoes at NAKA. Two pass under NAKA and hit passenger-cargo ship TSURAGA MARU that sinks about 0600 at 00-10N, 118-0E.

Makassar Strait, off Samarinda. A few hours later, van Well Groeneveld attacks CH-12 with unknown results. During the day's action, K-XVIII is heavily damaged by depth-charges. K-XVIII is unable to dive and van Well Groeneveld is forced to return to Surabaya for repairs.

18 February 1942: Operation "J" - The Invasion of Java, Netherlands East Indies:
CH-12 and Rear Admiral Hirose's 2nd Base Force depart Camranh Bay, Indochina with Vice Admiral Takahashi's Western Java Seizure Force. Takahashi's force consists of 56 troop transports carrying the 2nd Infantry Division for the invasion of Bantam Bay and Merak, Java. Light cruisers YURA and NATORI and seaplane tender SANYO MARU provide escort. CruDiv 7's MOGAMI, MIKUMA, SUZUYA and KUMANO provide cover.

10 March 1942:
Assigned to Vice Admiral Takahashi's Southwest Area Fleet's newly formed Third Southern Expeditionary Fleet in Special Base Force 31 organized at Manila. CH-12 engages in the blockade of Manila Bay .

1 May 1942:
Reassigned to the Kure fortifications squadron. Based at Saeki. Conducts anti-submarine patrols in the Bungo Straits.

16 October 1942:
Reassigned to the 4th Base Force. Escorts convoys near Truk.

E 20 January 1943:
CH-12 departs at Truk.

22 January 1943:
At 1200, CH-12 joins the escort of a convoy consisting of KAIHEI, TAIFUKU and NANKAI MARUs inbound to Truk from Rabaul escorted by CH-18 and CH-22. Shortly thereafter, CH-18 and CH-22 are detached.

24 January 1943:
Arrives at Truk.

26 January 1943:
Departs Truk's south channel escorting a convoy consisting of KAIHEI and ASAYAMA (CHOZEN) MARUs enroute to Saipan.

27 January 1943:
CH-12 detaches from the convoy at 08-28N, 117-13 E and returns to Truk.

May 1943:
Reassigned to the 1st Base Force.

18 May 1943:
CH-12 arrives at Truk via the Kimijima channel escorting oiler KOKUYO MARU.

26 May 1943:
At about 0900 (JST), CH-12 and CH-37 depart Truk escorting seaplane tender KAMIKAWA MARU.

28 May 1943:
N of Kavieng, New Ireland. KAMIKAWA MARU is enroute to Palau. At about 1000 (JST), she is attacked by a B-24 "Liberator" heavy bomber that is driven off.

255 miles NNW of Kavieng, near Emirau Island. KAMIKAWA MARU is attacked by LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Walter G. Ebert's USS SCAMP (SS-277). At 1203 (JST) , in a heavy squall, KAMIKAWA MARU is hit by three torpedoes. Abandon Ship is ordered and her crew takes to the lifeboats.

29 May 1943:
At midnight, KAMIKAWA MARU is attacked again by SCAMP. At 0016, she takes another torpedo hit portside. At 0021, KAMIKAWA MARU sinks at 01-36S, 150-24 E. SCAMP survives attacks by either CH-12 or CH-37.

3 June 1943:
At 1300, CH-12 and CH-29 depart Rabaul escorting a convoy consisting of MITSU MARU No. 3, KOSHU MARU No. 2, TAKUEI and SHINTOKU MARUs.

5 June 1943:
At 0800, arrives at Shortland.

7 June 1943:
At 1530, CH-12 and CH-29 depart Shortland escorting a convoy consisting of KOSHU MARU No. 2 and KASHI, TAKUNAN and KISARAGI MARUs.

9 June 1943:
At 0700, arrives at Rabaul.

27 June 1943:
At 1200, CH-12 departs Rabaul escorting a convoy consisting of KASHI, KIRI and KISARAGI MARUs and NISSEN MARU No. 3.

30 June 1943:
At 0500, arrives at Shortland.

1 August 1943:
Attacked and damaged by American aircraft at an unknown location. Undergoes temporary repairs, then escorts a convoy to Japan. Thereafter, undergoes repairs at Shikoku shipbuilding.

26 March 1944:
At 0800, CH-12 and minesweeper W-12 depart Surabaya, Java for Bima, Sumbawa Island escorting a convoy consisting of NICHINAN, KUNIYAMA and HEIAN MARUs. The convoy stops at Kangean Island in the evening

27 March 1944:
At 0600, departs Kangean Island. At 1000, LtCdr Willard R. Laughon's USS RASHER (SS-269) fires six torpedoes at two ships and gets three hits that sink NICHINAN MARU. The convoy reverses course back to Surabaya. At 1825, it departs again.

28 March 1944:
At Sepandjang Island, Patrol Boat PB-104 takes over escort. CH-12 and W-12 are detached.

30 March 1944:
CH-12 is reassigned to the 30th Base Force at Palau.

15 April 1944:
At 0600, CH-12 departs Tokyo with CH-6 and CH-10, destroyers HOKAZE, YUNAGI, UZUKI, frigate MIYAKE, minesweepers W-20 and W-28 and minelayers SARUSHIMA, KYOSAI and YURISHIMA escorting convoy Higashi-Matsu No. 6 consisting of AWAJI, HAKUBA, KATSUKAWA, TAKAOKA, BATAVIA, AWA and HOKUSHIN MARUs bound for Saipan, CHOAN MARU No. 2 and MIKAGE MARU No.1 bound for Truk, JOKUJA, BISAN and JINSAN MARUs bound for Palau, KAMISHIMA and SHOZAN MARUs bound for Wolei, INARI and TONEGAWA MARUs bound for Guam and TATSUAKI and TAMAHOKO MARUs bound for Chichi-Jima (2).

23 April 1944:
At 0600, arrives at Saipan.

1 May 1944 While nearing Palau, JOKUJA, BISAN and JINSAN MARUs and CH-10 run aground on the N tip of Palau atoll, but later all are successfully refloated.

13 May 1944:
At 0600, CH-12, auxiliary subchasers CHa-32 and CHa-60 depart Palau for Cebu, Philippines escorting a convoy consisting of BISAN and JOKUJA MARUs.

14 May 1944:
At 0222, a submarine attacks the convoy and fires three torpedoes at BISAN MARU, but they all miss. At 0552, the convoy is again attacked, this time by LtCdr John Corbus' USS BOWFIN (SS-287) and LtCdr Walter P. Schoeni's ASPRO (SS-309). BISAN MARU is hit by one or more torpedoes, floods and sinks by the stern at 0840. JOKUJA MARU rescues survivors. The subchasers drop about 15 depth charges, but both submarines escape. Later, BOWFIN and ASPRO share credit for the sinking.

15 May 1944:
At 0314, Schoeni's ASPRO torpedoes JOKUJA MARU at 10-10N, 131-32E. She sinks at 1000 NNW of Palau.The subchasers drop about 12 depth charges, but ASPRO safely clears the area.

30 June 1944:
At 1000, CH-12, CH-35 and kaibokans CD-16 and CD-19 depart Cebu escorting convoy SEPA-01/SEDA- 01 consisting of TAMA, OYO and AZUCHISAN MARUs.

1 July 1944:
CH-12, CH-35, kaibokans CD-16, CD-19 and TAMA MARU separate and head for Palau

4 July 1944:
At 0230, a friendly aircraft crash lands in the sea. CH-35 is detached to rescue its crew and falls behind. At 0352, TAMA MARU is torpedoed and sunk at 07-50N 133-40E in the second of two attacks by LtCdr Carl Tiedeman's USS GUAVINA (SS-362).

5 July 1944:
The escorts arrive at Palau alone.

1 August 1944:
At 1830, CH-12 and auxiliary subchasers CHa-60 and MISAGO MARU depart Davao for Palau escorting convoy No. 1125 consisting of ZUIYO, URUPPU and KOJUN MARUs.

4 August 1944:
W of Palau. The convoy is bombed by B-24 bombers at 07-20N, 131-34E. CHa-60 is hit, but is able to continue.

5 August 1944:
At 1230, arrives at Palau.

13 August 1944:
E of Mindanao. At about 0915, LtCdr Eric L. Barr's USS BLUEGILL (SS-242) attacks a convoy consisting of transport KOJUN MARU escorted by CH-12 and auxiliary subchaser MISAGO MARU. Barr hits KOJUN MARU with a torpedo and she sinks by the bow. During the action, MISAGO MARU is also hit, blows up and sinks. [1]

30 September 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Authors' Note:
[1] Some sources indicate CH-12 was sunk in this engagement; others state she was at Palau at war's end.

-Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall.

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